Mary Anne HobbsRadio One favourite, Raffertie, gives us the low-down on his forthcoming ‘Antisocial’ EP and playing Chew the Fat! at Corsica Studios on February 6th.

Spreading wobble horror with his low-frequency bass and helium rave vocals, 21 year-old Raffertie has quickly become a firm favourite of Radio One’s Queen of dubstep, Mary Anne Hobbs. Well, she’s called him ‘sick in the head’ which we take as a compliment since she keeps playing his records.With the Antisocial EP out on Seclusiasis at the end of March, which we have an exclusive sample from, and further releases penned for On The Brink, the ultra cool Planet Mu and even cooler sounding Cock Rock Disco, Rafferie’s distinctive sound and humour means he is following hot on the heels of Rusko in becoming dubstep’s next cover star.

Mary Anne Hobbs has been all over your tracks like a rash. Have you met her yet? And what’s the difference in reaction been like since getting played on Radio One?We’ve heard Rob Da Bank has been getting in on the action too.

Mary Anne’s support has undoubtedly boosted my profile. She has brought me to the attention of many people, including other Radio One DJs that may never have otherwise come across my music and for that I will always be grateful. I think my music has been paid more attention and received better reactions because of the respect that the musical community has for her opinions. I’ve not met her yet but we are on the same bill at Motion in Bristol at the end of March so hopefully our paths will cross.

I believe the Antisocial EP is only your second official release but it totally takes your sound to a new level, drawing comparisons to the likes of Caspa by injecting a lot more character into dubstep that it can sometimes have. What are your influences in your productions?And which is your personal favourite track on the EP?

All three of the tracks have had many outings in the clubs, ‘Antisocial’ and ‘Wobble Horror!’ probably a little more than ‘Eyes Closed’, and I’ve enjoyed playing them all but I think my favourite still has to be ‘Antisocial’. It was made after I got mugged twice in one weekend, it wasn’t a good time and I think the track reflects that. I suppose day to day happenings like those are a big inspiration. Musically speaking though my influences are wide and varied; from some of the very earliest electro-house music I got into such as Felix Da Housecat and Miss Kitten, through early fidget with Dave ‘Switch’ Taylor, 90’s rave with Praga Kahn and 2 Unlimited, to drum & bass with DJ Hazzard, 2-Step and UK Garage with Zed Bias and B15 Project, the US Trouble & Bass sound with Drop The Lime and of course dubstep with Caspa and Rusko, Reso and Starkey to name but a few.

It’s an exciting time to be a producer because dance music is becoming so much more interesting, diverse and complex. There are so many fantastic young producers who appear all the time and these people are just as much, if not more, of an influence on what I’m doing currently. Producers of note: Kanji Kinetic, Stagga, The Squire Of Gothos & Toast.

I understand the comparisons people make between the Antisocial EP and the sounds of Caspa, he is an amazing producer, and it’s a risk you run when you step into a genre which has been so skilfully defined by the likes of Casper and Rusko but hopefully people will hear something in the music that they can associate with Raffertie.

The sounds I use are changing all the time. All the tracks on the Antisocial EP have been around now for some months and just as there is a marked difference between these tracks and tracks off the first EP, such as ‘Do That’ and the original mix of ‘Stomping Grounds’, I think people will hear a change again on the Planet Mu record. There is only one track finished for this that I’m 100% happy with called ‘Sugar’. It’s a difficult track to describe it but Starkey and Kanji have both told me it sounds like ‘4×4 breakcore’ which makes me smile! It will be interesting to hear reactions when the record comes out.

Anyone searching the blogs might find cheeky remixes you’ve done of Whitney Houston, Chaka Khan and even Britney, not the normal staples of a dubstep set.Are you a closet pop and disco fan?

Absolutely! Haha. I love pop, disco, all sorts. It’s easy to get lost in the fug of ‘progressive music’ and music takes itself far too seriously at times. Of course there is the serious, slightly more angsty side to my music, but one of the main reason to go out and dance is to enjoy yourself. I don’t see why producers can’t try and combine the two and have fun progressing.

What else have you got going on in the Raffertie bass lab?We’ve heard there might be another remix of a big pop act.

Yes! Getting that remix done is my main priority for the next week or so, I might even have a version finished in time for Chew The Fat so keep an ear open! I’ve just finished a remix for Trevor Loveys and Shab Ruffcut which is coming out through Satan’s Circus Records on the 2nd of Feb. I’ll be working on another remix for Satan’s Circus which will be out April time. I am planning to hopefully have the Planet Mu 12” finished in the next month and lastly one of my favourite UK labels, Rag & Bone, have asked me for some tracks to release later this year. Between that and playing out it should be a busy few months.

How do you react to the accusations that your sick in the head?

Smile. A friend said to me, ‘to some that may be an insult but when you’re dropping some of the most intense dubplates around, as Mary Anne Hobbs is, it’s definitely a compliment.’